New on the block: Luxury farms for urban farmers

Barely 20km off Hyderabad’s tech corridor, Telangana’s real estate story starts making a visible shift. The towering high-rises give way to flatter terrain and ‘farm plots up for sale’ boards are a recurring sight. And this continues up to 100km to the west from Moinabad (Ranga Reddy district) to Mominpet (Vikarabad district).
While some smaller plots have been in business since 2020 — soon after Covid-19 spiked the demand for larger homes with more open area — what’s hot off the shelves now are luxury farmland projects with a 150-200 acre sprawl, luring a new brand of urban farmers.
Here, land bought is of much larger size, at least an acre, and nestled within mango orchards complete with five-star resorts, wellness centres, animal farms, and the works. Owners can either get their hands dirty and plant their own fruits and vegetables or task a management firm with the job of growing a healthy yield. The produce and revenue are then shared between the two. Price tags of these properties: Anywhere between Rs 1.5 crore to Rs 5 crore.
New crop of farmers
Who are these new-age farmers? The list includes entrepreneurs, doctors, senior IT/pharma executives and industrialists, eyeing a weekend escape from their primary homes in the city.
There are many NRIs who’ve picked up farmlands in Hyderabad’s outskirts. “It’s a good way to adopt clean living,” said Priya Rajiv, an emotional well-being coach. Together with her husband, Rajiv Krishnamurthy, she bought an acre of farmland in a project in Vikarabad.
“The tech evolution has unfortunately left us disconnected to our roots. We have forgotten how to eat clean, maintain a healthy balance in life and be conscious of our environment. To ensure our kids do not grow up like this, we invested here,” said the Begumpet resident who makes at least two trips to the farm every month. Many of her friends have bought similar ventures in the district.
Managing partner of Akshara Group, Ashwin Rao, shares how it’s true of most of his clientele at Akshara Ananda, in Mominpet. “The idea was to create a high-end community of urban farmers who are not separated by concrete walls,” said Rao, adding that apart from growing fruits and vegetables organically, “we also have a space with all native animals where residents can spend time. Feeding and petting animals is known to be therapeutic.” He is now setting up a wellness resort designed by international architects to add to the USP of the project.
Community farming
K Srinivas Rao of Inacres – Community Supported Agriculture, does not like to refer to his venture as a “typical real estate project”, he hinges on the concept of community farming. “The lifestyle of the poor has become the dream of crorepatis today. They now want to return closer to nature, eat straight from the farm and breathe fresh air. That’s what we encourage in our land,” said Rao, with projects in Telangana and Karnataka.
An official of Sanctuary, a project located in Chevella, said, “Though we have a provision for buyers to build a small cottage on their portion, most choose to use the space for farming. We also have orchards in the common area that are maintained by us. The yield is divided and shipped to all members of the community.”